The USNS Wally Schirra's primary mission is delivering cargo to Navy warships at sea. (Hanwha Ocean)
A U.S. Navy dry cargo ship departed a South Korean shipyard this week after a seven-month overhaul, marking the first major repair of an American naval vessel by a South Korean firm.
The USNS Wally Schirra, a Lewis and Clark-class ship, completed repairs Wednesday at Hanwha Ocean’s shipyard on Geoje Island, about 200 miles southeast of Seoul, according to a U.S. Military Sealift Command news release Thursday.
The command — the Navy’s logistical and support arm — operates approximately 125 vessels that handle missions ranging from underwater cable repairs to salvage operations.
Commissioned in 2009, the Wally Schirra has no homeport, according to the Navy’s website. The ship’s primary mission is delivering cargo to Navy warships at sea.
Conducting large-scale maintenance overseas “reduces downtime and costs while enhancing operational readiness,” Rear Adm. Neil Koprowski, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea, said in the release.
“[South Korea’s] ability to conduct large-scale maintenance to USNS ships within the Indo-Pacific theater demonstrates the strong strategic partnership between [South Korea] and the United States,” he said.
More than 300 repairs were made to the Wally Schirra, including hull corrosion removal and a full rudder replacement, according to the release. Hanwha Ocean reverse-engineered the damaged rudder without a blueprint, which “saved significant time and resources in getting Wally Schirra back to sea.”
Hanwha Ocean did not immediately respond to an email Friday inquiring about the cost of the repairs.
U.S. shipyards are struggling with a backlog of maintenance and repairs, a challenge for the Navy and its allies as they counter China, which dominates the global shipbuilding industry. Last year, a U.S.-led working group met in Japan to develop a program to maintain and repair American warships in that country rather than sending them back to the U.S. for major work.
The Wally Schirra crew will now conduct training in damage control, navigation and operations, according to Military Sealift Command.
“Upon completion of the training, USNS Wally Schirra will continue its normal mission of combat logistics, providing ammunition, dry cargo, food and fuel to the fleet,” command spokeswoman Jennifer Hunt said in an email Friday.
The Wally Schirra is the first vessel to undergo repairs under the Navy’s contract with Hanwha.
In July, Hanwha, one of South Korea’s “Big Three” shipbuilders, received a five-year approval from the Navy to compete for maintenance and repair contracts. It won the contract for the Wally Schirra and began work the following month, according to a company release in September.
Hanwha is also repairing the USNS Yukon, a replenishment oiler, with an estimated completion date next month, according to a November release from the company.
Then-Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro visited Hanwha’s primary shipyard in February 2024 and praised South Korea’s defense industry partnership with the U.S. military.
“I could not be more excited at the prospect of these companies bringing their expertise, their technology, and their cutting-edge best practices to American shores,” he said at the time. “As world-class leaders in the global shipbuilding business, they are poised to energize the U.S. shipbuilding marketplace with fresh competition, renowned innovation and unrivaled industrial capacity.”
Hanwha, South Korea’s sixth-largest conglomerate, expanded its presence in the U.S. shipbuilding industry in June by purchasing Norwegian-owned Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia for $100 million.
